Rhaenyra Just Gained Her Most Valuable 'House of the Dragon' Ally Yet (2024)

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 2 of House of the Dragon.

The Big Picture

In the new episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra gains an unlikely ally after an attack.
Rhaenyra's choice to free Mysaria shows Mysaria that the queen has more honor than most.
The importance of smallfolk perception will heavily influence the outcome of the war for the Iron Throne.

Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can cause massive ripples to come. In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), burdened by the recent slaughter of her son, is about to find her claim to the Iron Throne more heavily doubted than ever. Named heir by her father, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine), but usurped by the Greens to install Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the throne, Rhaenyra's friends across the realm form an increasingly thin roster. After having sent her son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) to seek further support, a trek that led to his fatal clash with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), Rhaenyra's attention became clouded by grief, and her only spoken words in this season's premiere were to call for Aemond's execution.

Daemon (Matt Smith) runs with this, taking matters into his own hands, but has the wrong Green assassinated. Blood (Sam C. Wilson) and Cheese (Mark Stobbart) kill Aegon's young son, Jaehaerys. A funeral procession for Jaehaerys — led by a call blaming Rhaenyra and dubbing her kinslayer — spurs word across the realm, surely causing the reconsideration of those sworn to Rhaenyra's claim. The episode's title, "Rhaenyra the Cruel," encapsulates one of the greatest challenges she'll face. To combat the notion, Rhaenyra will have to win the hearts of the smallfolk, a much more difficult task than sparring with swords and dragons. A simple act of honor, however, may have earned Rhaenyra the most valuable ally for that challenge.

House of the Dragon

TV-MA

Fantasy

Drama

'Rhaenyra the Cruel' Brings Unlikely 'House of the Dragon' Characters Together

After reluctantly aiding Daemon in his assassination of the king's son, Mysaria remained a prisoner at Dragonstone. The volatile argument between Daemon and Rhaenyra, a fight admonishing the former's trustworthiness and the latter's ability to rule, led to the Daemon departing from Dragonstone. With him gone, Rhaenyra called Mysaria to her chambers to decipher her involvement in what transpired at King's Landing. The compounding predicament notwithstanding, the moment itself makes for a fantastic scene. Through a few words, Rhaenyra seems to realize that Mysaria is one of the few to understand Daemon's nature in the way she does.

Mysaria questions how long Daemon will be gone. "A week... or forever... I do not know," Rhaenyra responds. "He does do that, doesn't he?" Mysaria offers back, and Rhaenyra locks onto her with a knowing glare. Before her is a woman who's fallen under Daemon's deceit and manipulation for his gain and lived to tell of it in a way few have. Rhaenyra says that releasing Mysaria would, at best, be a foolish loss of an asset and, at worst, lead to fatal betrayal. Still, her eyes say she's looking at perhaps the only person who understands her on a deeper level.

Rhaenyra May Have Saved Herself By Choosing to Free Mysaria

Rhaenyra Just Gained Her Most Valuable 'House of the Dragon' Ally Yet (2)

Upon confessing her assistance in Daemon's infiltration of the Red Keep through Blood and Cheese, Mysaria firmly asserts to Rhaeynra that this was a transactional act only. In exchange for her help, Daemon promised her freedom. Rhaenyra only has Mysaria's word as evidence such a promise was made, but she acknowledges the scar on Mysaria's neck, a likely remnant of past enslavement. Rhaenyra chooses to believe her, honoring the word of her house and setting Mysaria free. It's a two-fold move — honorable in and of itself and a show of respect, taking Mysaria purely at her word that such a promise from Daemon even existed. Rhaenyra's choice made an obvious impression.

As she's being escorted to a ship departing Dragonstone, she passes Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor), a night of the Kingsguard sent by Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) to assassinate Rhaenyra. By impersonating his twin brother Erryk Cargyll (Elliot Tittensor), he hopes to evade detection. Having just seen Erryk at Rhaenyra's side, Mysaria is immediately suspicious and requests that she and her escort stop.

Mysaria Values the Kind of Honor Rhaenyra Has Shown

Rhaenyra Just Gained Her Most Valuable 'House of the Dragon' Ally Yet (3)

With everything in disarray, the goodwill of the White Worm may prove to be one of Rhaenyra's greatest assets. Mysaria has shown herself to hold a deep care for the smallfolk. She admits aiding the usurpers was regrettable, but it was purely transactional. In exchange for helping Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) find Aegon, whom she stowed away for safety, she asked that they put an end to the suffering of children in Flea Bottom, who are forced to fight. "An obscenity, either tolerated or ignored by the crown," Mysaria demands.

The White Worm deals in secrets. She knows the highest lords and lowest servants, and knowledge can be far more useful (and deadly) than skill with a sword. We don't know yet what Mysaria did to intervene in the Cargyll twin impersonation, but we're explicitly shown that she stops. It likely saved Rhaenyra's life. Sir Arryk makes it to Rhaenyra's bed chamber and nearly kills her, but Sir Erryk arrives in time to thwart the attempt (before tragically killing himself). This is surely the first of many benefits for Rhaenyra, having gained Mysaria as an ally not through coercion, blackmail, threat, or payment but through honor.

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Season 2, Episode 2 of 'House of the Dragon' Stresses the Importance of Smallfolk

In the same episode, the value of the common person's perception is emphasized time and time again, as it has throughout Westeros lore since the era of Game of Thrones. While the fallout of his nephew's assassination unfolds, Aemond seeks the company of brothel madame Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard). Aemond, naked and coddled like a grotesque child, is preoccupied with the notion that Daemon must be afraid of him, having sent the assassins to kill him. He's proud of this. He does, however, admit slight regret over having lost his temper, leading to Lucerys' death. Sylvi then counsels him with the best advice we've seen him receive: "I would remind you only that when princes lose their temper, it is often others who suffer. The smallfolk. Like me."

Next, we get a rare scene showing Hugh (Kieran Bew) and his wife looking after their sick daughter, bemoaning the scarcity of food amidst the ongoing blockade. Aegon still has not paid Hugh the money he promised him in Episode 1 for making scorpion bolts early. Aegon bought the sympathy of the people with the funeral procession, showing his beheaded son, accompanied by a grieving Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Queen Helaena (Phia Saban). But he then swiftly ruins this by executing every ratcatcher in the Red Keep, killing many innocents in the hopes that one of them was the unknown perpetrator in his son's murder. He strips his grandfather of his title as Hand of the King when Otto yells at him, not caring for the smallfolk who might have been innocent.

We've seen the goodwill of smallfolk bolster and destroy figures like Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), and Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). No matter the size of your army or the number of dragons on your side, no one rules for long in Westeros without the average citizen's support. The fight between Team Black and Team Green will tip back and forth like a scale, and the weight of the smallfolk may decide its outcome. Making an ally of Mysaria could be the smartest move Rhaenyra has made yet.

The first two episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 are available to stream on Max.

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